Dogs and bags

Things have been pretty hectic around here (work and stuff) and I haven't had much chance to sew. However, I have been working on a Linus quilt with dogs on. A little girl in the Oncology Ward at the Leicester Royal Infirmary said she would like a quilt with dogs on, in pinks and purples. Not an easy request! Mandy got onto the case and managed to find a cushion panel and some matching border fabric with little Scottie dogs in the heather on! She is even more snowed under with stuff than I am, so I volunteered to make it up.

It's not actually something I would usually make, but I'm sure a pink, purple and dog-loving little girl will think it's fabulous!

I have been trying to get my Family Tree quilt finished (nearly there!) and working on some quilting for my Mum. She is a member of the Townswomen's Guild, where they have various national and regional competitions, and since her genes are where I got my flair for making things, she likes to enter the craft sections. One of next year's challenges is to make a patchwork bag in the style of a 20th century decade and her branch's chosen decade is the 1950s, so she took that one on. Although she has done lots of sewing in her time (even made my brother's trousers when he was young) she isn't a quilter, so this was quite a challenge for her. I lent her some magasines for inspiration, and she just dived in! Dad is good on the computer, so I showed him how to print photos onto fabric, which she has incorporated into the bag. Here it is so far.

As you can see, I'm currently quilting it. here are close-ups of the two sides.

Here is the Queen's coronation in 1953, and Mum has printed off two slogans about rationing ending in 1954 and Princess Anne's birth in 1950, and used them as part of the blocks at the side.On this side is the conquest of Mount Everest in 1953, with slogans about Roger Bannister's one minute mile and the first dog in space.

Considering both Mum and Dad are in their 80s, it's not bad going at all, I say!